How Many Carbs Do Plantains Have?

Plantains are a nutritious source of carbohydrates.

Plantains are in the same family as bananas. They look similar, but they are starchier and are usually only eaten cooked. Plantains can be used when green, yellow or so ripe that their skins are black. Green and yellow plantains are used as vegetables, similar to the way you would use a potato, and very ripe plantains can be used in desserts. They are a good source of fiber, potassium and vitamins A and C. These nutritious fruits are about 31 percent carbohydrate by weight.

Carbohydrate Importance

Carbohydrates, which include sugars, starch and fiber, provide energy for your body and are the preferred source of energy for your brain. Carbohydrates should make up between 40 percent and 60 percent of your calories, with most of the carbohydrates coming from whole grains, fiber and sugars that occur naturally in foods, rather than from refined carbohydrates and added sugars. A 1-cup serving of sliced plantains provides you with 48 grams of carbohydrates, or about 16 percent of the daily value for a person who consumes 2,000 calories per day.

Sugars

While you should limit added sugars, you don't need to limit sugars naturally found in foods, including fruits like plantains. Plantains are low in sugar compared to bananas, but as they get riper, their sugar content increases and their starch content decreases. A 1-cup serving of plantain slices contains approximately 22 grams of sugar.

Starch

Starches take longer to digest than sugars, since they are composed of a number of sugar molecules bound together. During digestion, an enzyme called amylase breaks these bonds and turns the starches into sugar for your body to use as energy. Eating 1 cup of sliced plantains will provide you with about 23 grams of starch.

Fiber

People don't have the enzymes necessary to digest fiber, so it passes through your digestive tract without providing calories. When counting carbs, you can subtract the amount of fiber from the total amount of carbohydrates because of this. Fiber slows digestion, helping you feel full for longer and slowing the release of sugars into the bloodstream. The 4 grams of fiber in a 1-cup serving of sliced plantains provides you with 14 percent of the daily value for this essential nutrient.